Pics and Posts

So much to share and such little blog space. I was thinking of hosting a photo party with all the things I have been up to since my last post. I will try to break from the norm and have less waffling and more projects.

Firstly, I will start with this cutie. It is a little armchair and the pattern was given to me by a friend on swap-bot. The author of this pattern is amazing and she has an even more amazing shop on etsy, amieggs. You can find her over at http://blog.amieggs.com and get prepared for a dose of cuteness. I was amazed at how easy the pattern was to follow and I assure you, there will be more to come.

Too cute huh?

Next project was for a swap on Swap-bot. I had to make something for my partner in the theme of swap-bot so I chose the colours which are white, orange and blue. I really liked how it came out and so I made one for myself using my favorite colours pink and green. The pattern is out of my head and I was not intending it to look star shaped but I actually like the look. I will be making more of these as well.

One for my partner...

... and one for me.

Another project I am working on is a beaded belt. When I was requested to make one I thought to myself "No problem, a few beads on a string. Easy". Well apparently what I had in mind and what they had in mind was two different things and for someone who is not crafty it seems simple enough but when I saw an example of what they wanted I was taken aback. I knew straight away how it was done and what was needed. It is a loom weaving with multiple colours and a pattern that takes some patience. So, instead of sitting around thinking how I am going to get it done, I scrounged for my loom (dusted it off), rummaged out my black perle cotton and rounded up all the beads I could find that suited this project. Before you could say "GO" I was on it. I threaded my loom a few times until I got the tension I needed and without thinking about it I set off. I still have quite a bit to do but I have also gotten off to a good start. I think knowing it is going to someone who really needs it makes the whole thing enjoyable. So far so good and I think this belt might be my defining point in my crafting life.

Went from this...

...to this in a few hours. Still have tons more to go though.

Another project I had on the go in October was the Santa's shoebox and it was amazing. This was an initiative where you signed up to get a gift for a needy child at Christmas. Now I don't celebrate Christmas and try to stay away from the festivities but I am all about kids so my box was not Christmas themed. You get to choose the gender, age and location (from a list of care facilities) and then you fill the box with the child's gender and age in mind. What I really liked was that there were certain items that had to be in the box such as toothpaste,toothbrush, soap, washcloth, something educational, clothing, sweets and then whatever else you wanted. I naturally chose a girl and went wild with the gifts. Everything was pink from the soap dish to the toothbrush to the pajamas. Zanda was a 5 year old girl from the townships and knowing that I helped make her day a little more special, well I get teary eyed thinking about it and just wish I could have seen her face. Even hubby contributed a few things like lip gloss and a purse. This is an amazing charity and I will be doing it again next year for sure.

I forgot to add that I am a first class gift wrapper and I made that bow all by myself.

Lets see, what else have I been up to? Oh, How could I forget my Rocky Horror picture show entourage? Well here they are, the last 3 characters.
Here is Columbia. She was my favorite of the four.  That gold thread was a nightmare though but well worth it in the end. Each has a bit of razzle dazzle in them but she has the most.

I love how Columbia turned out, specially her hat and pink pout

Front view of Columbia

 Magenta. I loved how her hair looked and until I tied it up it was all over the place. I had the song 'She's so mean but I don't care" by Escape club stuck in my head all the time, in particular the words " She's so mean, but I don't care. I love her eyes and and her wild wild hair." Funny enough that is the only line of the song I know but I found it appropriate. Her hair is this fluffy, maroon, sparkly stuff that I had and never used.

A much tamer Magenta with her hair tied.

And one from the front.

Lastly was RiffRaff. I put making him off till the end because I had no idea how I was going to do his jacket and waistcoat. I made his head one day, the hair the next and his legs at the end. The day I packaged it I made his torso and it was not actually so bad. I decided to go simple and just took a deep breath and went with it. His face is really snarky and that was just ideal. His hair was kind of easy to do and not as much work as the others and all in all I think he turned out just right.

Snarky old RiffRaff

And from the front. The pic does not do him any justice as he looks better in real life.

So that was my Rocky Horror picture collection. Individually, I am really not sure but as a unit they work well together. Making them was a really big job and I made one a week for four weeks. I know that sounds really long but I have real life to contend with as well. From my part time job running my husband's boutique to domestic goddess who makes her own bread to part time minder of the neighbors kids to entertaining guests, it is really quite a job juggling all of it and then I always have so many crafts on the go that I am working on so I think four weeks are kind of justified. I really do hope my friend likes them as they are a Christmas present for her daughter. Did I mention they are going to reside in White City, Oregon?

Getting back to that domestic goddess part, I baked my first Red Velvet cake. Given I had never tasted red velvet cake, I think I did a really good job. I do however suggest that they be prepared as cupcakes instead as I had no idea how rich it was. My cake was a huge success and enjoyed by all.  I will wait a while before I try the recipe again because of how rich it is but I really suggest it is a cake well worth it.

The naked cake

Kind of dark photo but the only one I have of it cut.

and another of my dark photo's.

So that concludes my adventure. Busy bee does not even come close to what I was and they should change it to busy N for me. Hopefully my next post will be my completed belt, homemade crystal lollies and a lot less stressful Nasreen. I am sure there are a lot more pics but I will have to save that for another blog adventure so while I get back to my crafting I will leave you with visions of sweet transvestites, humming Escape club and a hankering for cake, till later...Chow!